We have developed a wide range of resources to support your delivery of Digital Functional Skills Qualifications. These include teaching and learning resources, support and guidance with administrating, assessing and marking DFSQ, detailed guides and instructions for marking assessment, access to diagnostic tools and links to other helpful websites and more…
Key links
Qualification Specification for Entry Level 3
Qualification Specification for Level 1
Diagnostic tools
Learning and Teaching resources – sample document (full versions available in Prism for approved centres)
Teaching resources
We have developed free teaching resources to support the delivery of Digital Functional Skills Qualifications (DFSQ) at Entry Level 3 and Level 1.
They provide a structured, blended approach to the delivery of DFSQ for face-to-face, remote delivery, or a mixture of both. You can adapt our teaching and learning activities to meet your learners’ diverse needs and profiles. Where applicable, we have suggested alternative approaches to the delivery of knowledge and skills.
To make the teaching of Digital Functional Skills as straightforward as possible, we have provided teaching resources for each of the five digital skill strands of the national standards for essential digital skills. Each unit contains:
- Teaching resource,
- Learning pack,
- Answer booklet.
Due to the broader scope of Level 1 Create and Edit (Unit 2) and to help Centres in delivering it, we have divided the resources between Word Processing, Presentations and Processing Numeric Data. These guides include tutor-led and independent learning activities along with checklists to assess skill development and progress, exemplar answers and marking guidance.
The variety of teaching and learning activities and signposting to online content covers the depth and breadth of knowledge and skills required for learners to meet the standards and to help prepare them for the mock and live assessments on Surpass.
These resources are available free of charge to Centres approved for Digital Functional Skills Qualifications (DFSQ) with Gateway Qualifications. They can be downloaded from Prism and can be found on the “Documents” tab of the relevant qualification.
Download the sample document (full versions available in Prism for approved centres)
Resources for DFSQ mini-series
Explore the full range of free resources through our comprehensive mini-series webinars. In each session, you will discover more about the teaching and learning resources. All sessions are now available on demand.
Watch now for an overview of our resources
Getting Started with DFSQ
Guides and support to help Centres get up and running with Digital Functional Skills Qualifications.
Written guidance
Guides and support to help Centres get up and running with Digital Functional Skills Qualifications.
External assessment guidance – Step-by-step instructions on how to use Surpass.
How-to guides
Step-by-step videos demonstrating how to perform the most common tasks in Surpass:
Live Webinar Support
Additional live webinars are available exclusively to approved Centres. These run regularly throughout the year, each hosted by a senior Quality team member.
Approved DFSQ Centres can book a place on a webinar
If you’re not yet an approved Centre for DFSQ, you can find out more by attending one of our Introduction to Digital Functional Skills webinars or by contacting us.
Catch up with the latest recording
Exclusive guidance for Centres approved to deliver DFSQ
The following resources are available for approved Centres through Prism:
DFSQ Teaching Resources – Full versions of teaching resources to support the delivery at Entry 3 and Level. A sample resource document can be found here .
Centre Guide – This guide is for all involved in delivering and assessing Entry Level 3 and Level 1 Digital Functional Skills Qualifications (DFSQ). It provides information and guidance on meeting the assessment and quality assurance requirements for this suite of qualifications.
Sample Paper (online versions) – These sample assessments allow learners to familiarise themselves with the assessment platform and enable centres to familiarise themselves with the marking procedures.
Sample Paper Mark Schemes – These accompany the sample assessments and will allow you to mark the candidate’s work.
EDSQ approved Centres also have access to EDSQ resources which can be used in the delivery of DFSQ, this includes:
Instructions for the Conduct of EDSQ Assessments – This outlines the requirements for running EDSQ assessments in one document.
Glossary of Terms – This glossary has been developed to give the learner the key vocabulary that they need when developing their digital skills.
Surpass Candidate Guide – This guide gives learners an overview of how to access and navigate the assessment.
Surpass Guide for Centres – This guide gives the Centre, an overview of how to book assessments, mark and carry out internal quality assurance.
Standardisation Materials – This zip file contains everything you need to be able to carry out standardisation activities within your centre, including sample answers, sample marking, and mark schemes.
External Resources
The following websites provide valuable activities, resources and support for delivering Digital Functional Skills Qualifications (DFSQ).
Please note Gateway Qualifications is not responsible for the content of third-party websites; some sites may require registration or charge for access to some content.
bksb – one of the UK’s most popular online learning platforms. Last year, over 1.5 million learners used their online assessments and learning resources to improve their skills in English, maths and digital skills. Having been mapped to the Digital Functional Skills subject content, their latest course introduces students to the digital world, from using everyday devices to solving technical issues. bksb’s diagnostic assessment and comprehensive learning resources contain everything your learners need, including videos, interactive activities and jargon-busting glossaries. The bksb eLearning platform identifies a current working level and skill gaps specific to each learner, then offers engaging learning content that can be accessed anywhere, anytime. It supports colleges, training and apprenticeship providers with robust reporting data for Ofsted and funding requirements.
Education & Training Foundation – In 2019, DfE commissioned the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) to deliver the start of a blended CPD programme to prepare teachers, trainers and leaders to teach the new qualifications based on the national standards for Essential Digital Skills.
Good Things Foundation – The following resources have been developed by Good Things Foundation, a social change charity aiming to help people improve their lives through digital.
Learn My Way (Entry Level) – Learn My Way is a free online learning platform that helps people gain basic digital skills and improve their confidence to make the most of our online world. Learn My Way is packed with over 100 bite-sized topics that are suitable for beginners who have no or low digital skills. Topics cover subjects from the basics of starting to use a device through to using technology for social and financial inclusion. The platform is flexible and allows people to learn their own way; whether it’s on a computer, laptop, tablet or mobile. Learners can pick and choose which topics they’d like based on their digital needs and learning goals.
Webinars
We regularly host webinars exploring a range of topics of interest to those running Digital Functional Skills
See all of our DFSQ webinars
Topics have included an introduction to Digital Functional Skills, in-depth looks at using the teaching resources, tips on how to build a fundable offer for digital skills and progression options from DFSQ, and first-hand accounts from Centres on how they have integrated the qualifications into their curriculum.
Catch up with the latest recording
